List of battles with most United States military fatalities
. Section 32 of the cemetery is in the foreground.]] This article contains lists of the most costly battles and campaigns fought by the military of the United States of America, in terms of American deaths. Introduction This article lists battles and campaigns where the number of U.S. soldiers killed was higher than 1,000. The battles and campaigns that reached that number of deaths in the field are so far limited to the American Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korean War and one campaign during the Vietnam War (the Tet Offensive of January 30 to September 23, 1968). The campaign that resulted in the most U.S. military deaths was the Meuse-Argonne Offensive (September 26 to November 11, 1918) where 26,277 soldiers were killed fighting against the German Empire. The bloodiest single–day battle in American history was the Battle of Antietam when 3,654 Union and Confederate soldiers were killed on September 17, 1862. However, for the United States military specifically, the bloodiest single day is June 6, 1944 with 2,499 soldiers killed at the Invasion of Normandy on D-day. The origins of the United States military can be traced to the Americans' fight for independence from their former colonial power, Great Britain, in the War for independence (1775–83). The three bloodiest conflicts have been American Civil War (1861–65), World War I (1917–1918) and World War II (1941–45). Other significant conflicts involving the United States ordered by casualties include, Korean War (1950–1953), Vietnam War (1964–1973), the War in Afghanistan (2001–present) and various conflicts in the Middle East. For most of its existence, America has been involved in one or another military conflict. Scope and definitions The definition of "battle" as a concept in military science has been a dynamic one through the course of military history, changing with the changes in the organization, employment and technology of military forces. From the beginning of history until the 20th century, "battle" has usually meant a military clash over a relatively small area, lasting only a few days at most (and often just one day); for instance, the Battle of Waterloo, begun, fought, and ended on 18 June 1815 on a field a few kilometers across. Another use of the term "battle", seen particularly in the 20th century, is as equivalent to military campaign (military operations on a larger scale and longer duration, on the operational or even strategic level); for instance the Battle of the Atlantic, fought over several years (1939 to 1945) in an area constituting about twenty percent of the Earth's surface. Since these two types of "battles" aren't usefully comparable in many ways (including casualty comparisons), this article is divided into two sections, one for battle in the older, more restricted sense, and one for campaigns, many of which are also called battles. There are actions at the margins that could be reasonably assigned to either list. For instance, the Battle of Spotsylvania lasted 14 day, but the main part was fought on a small field (less than three kilometers on a side), and in this way being more in the nature of a siege (a military action typically of long duration but in covering a relatively small area). Like the similar Battle of Cold Harbor, also part of the Overland Campaign, it is included in this article on the Battles list. The Battle of Saint-Mihiel (lasting only about four days, but on a larger field (roughly 12 kilometers by 25 kilometers) is also included on the Battles list. The term casualty in warfare can often be confusing. It often does not refer to those that are killed on the battlefield; rather, it refers to those who can no longer fight. This can include disabled by injuries, disabled by psychological trauma, captured, deserted, or missing. A casualty is just a soldier who is no longer available for the immediate battle or campaign, the major consideration in combat; the number of casualties is simply the number of members of a unit who are not available for duty. For example, during the Seven Days Battles in the American Civil War (June 25 to July 1, 1862) there were 5,228 killed, 23,824 wounded and 7,007 missing or taken prisoner for a total of 36,059 casualties. The word casualty has been used in a military context since at least 1513.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed gives a 1513 reference for military casualty, and an 1844 reference for civilian use In this article the numbers killed refer to those killed in action, killed by disease or someone who died from their wounds. Battles Campaigns }April 5 to May 8, 1945 | | Germany | |- |Battle of Guam |World War II | | | Japan | |- |Operation Undertone |World War II | | |group="A"}} | Germany | |- |Battle of the Ch'ongch'on River |Korean War | | killed | China | . |- |Operation Grenade |World War II | | | Germany |<"Warfare and Armed Conflicts" p. 479 |- |Battle of Mindanao |World War II | | 820 killed and 2,880 wounded on E. Mindanao |group="A"}} | Japan | |} See also * Deadliest single days of World War I * Surviving American units with the highest percentage of casualties per conflict Annotations Bibliography Notes References * * * - Total pages: 271 * - Total pages: 264 * * * - Total pages: 152 * * - Total pages: 207 * - Total pages: 992 * - Total pages: 602 * - Total pages: 248 * - Total pages: 848 * - Total pages: 192 * * * * - Total pages: 192 * * * - Total pages: 512 * - Total pages: 384 * - Total pages: 796 * * * - Total pages: 121 * * * - Total pages: 370 * - Total pages: 2524 * - Total pages: 355 * * * - Total pages: 317 * - Total pages: 416 * - Total pages: 1920 United States Category:Lists by death toll Category:United States military-related lists United States United States Category:American Civil War-related lists Military fatalities